Searching and Losing
by AruuYuda-ShoriKyuyu
Summary: He was possessed by a demon and he ran away. The other searched for him in the mountains on his own. A girl appeared, claiming to know about the demon. One fell in love with her. The other deceived her. Soon, two of them disappeared. All was lost. The things one of them valued were lost. He couldn't do anything. Based off Miku, Len and Rin's song, "Knife". MikuoxMikuxLen
1. Their Fateful Meeting

_AruuYuda-1601: So go on and listen to the song titled "Knife" by Miku, Len and Rin. Awesome, but it has yuri. _=.=_ Well, I only go for the plot, not the yuri. That's why I changed it to Miku, Mikuo and Len. Mwehehehe. So, Len is still the demon, Mikuo is Rin, and Miku is still Miku._

_And I changed things a little, of course. Er, maybe a little...?_

_Well, read on?_ :D

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_You were my once trusted friend. We used to play together near the riverbank and run in the fields and forests always. We used to share jokes, practice sword-fighting together, and share horror and supernatural stories._

_However, one day, you were suddenly possessed by a demon. At first, you acted normally. You told me that you were fine, but I felt that something was wrong. Your aura seemed a little darker than usual. I had the ability to feel auras._

_After being possessed, you left town at night. Your leaping on the clay roofs made cracking sounds, waking me and the townsfolk up. I stood up and went outside, only to see you fading away quickly in the midnight sky. _

_I noticed, as you leaped away, that your appearance changed as well. Your hair became longer than before. Was that the effect of of the possession? It was, the old townsfolk claimed._

_I caught a glimpse of a sword scabbard hanging beside your left leg just before you went out of my sight. The scabbard was silver, and it had some crimson cloud patterns. The hilt was emerald-green. The scabbard and hilt glinted and somewhat illuminated – that's why I saw the details._

_I trusted what I saw, since I had a clear eyesight._

_Days later, rumors circulated among the towns around the mountains. The rumor was that a boy with long, silver hair tied up in a ponytail was killing people around for their soul as his food. He was holding a silver-bladed sword with an emerald-green hilt._

_As I heard that rumor, I knew that it was you. I didn't want that to happen to you. You were my best friend. I didn't want you to get in trouble._

_I soon prepared to search for you and make you return to your old self._

_I went high and low, carrying nothing but food, water and a few daggers kept in a cloth bag hanging at my side._

_I won't give up searching for you, even if I have to chase you all the way beyond the moon._

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

Mikuo Hatsune sat down on a heap of leaves, sipping water from his glass flask.

He was exhausted, yet he was determined to find the person he was searching for.

_His best friend. His childhood friend._

It had been seven weeks since he started his search, yet he still couldn't find him.

_He wouldn't give up. Even if his legs were already sore from all those walking, running from danger and leaping over obstacles._

He immediately stood up and began his search again.

The wind was hot, and Mikuo's sweat dripped down his brow. He wiped it off with his midnight-blue kimono sleeve and heaved a sigh. He continued on the bumpy path laden with autumn leaves, a few brittle twigs and large arcs of tree roots.

He continued for a few hours, until he reached the edge of a grassy clearing. He turned his head to the west, seeing the setting orange-red sun behind the mountains. Three quarters of it already set. The sky was already orange. It had some streaks of yellow, purple and red, and the cirrus clouds were gray, opposing the colors.

Sweat quickly slid down his forehead, entering his eyes. It stung. Mikuo blinked his aquamarine eyes hard and slouched for a bit of rest.

It would soon get dark, he knew, but still he wouldn't give up, for the sake of his friend and the safety of everyone around.

He straightened up from his lax posture and walked forward.

As he stepped his tenth step, he heard a crackle of twigs and a rustle of leaves. Mikuo's heart skipped a beat in a bit of fear. There was no wind. He didn't step on twigs, for sure.

He felt an aura – it was his supernatural ability. It was a little faint, but he could feel it. It was mysteriously neutral...

He was sure it wasn't _him._ He knew that _his_ aura was a little dark just before he left.

He immediately took out his dagger from his cloth bag and stood up, alertness present in his ferocious aquamarine eyes.

Mikuo knew that he was powerless. He was in search for a demon-possessed human. He had no weapon but his daggers and his sensing ability. He was exposed to danger.

He walked cautiously to where he felt the aura. He shuffled his feet on the dried grass, his gray hakama trousers sweeping against it.

At the end of the clearing, he saw a girl in a black and red, intricately-designed kimono which partly exposed her creamy legs and lean stomach. She had a white bandage strip wrapped loosely around her stomach, a pair of fishnet leg stockings, and two black sword scabbards with intricate patterns. One sword had a brown hilt with some gold strips, and the other had a black one with white cross marks. She had a womanly figure, making him stare at her like a complete fool.

His eyes widened as he examined the girl, who looked like she was traveling like him. Her left hand was resting calmly against a tree trunk, making her look like she was searching for something, too.

_"She's...beautiful..."_ he thought. However, as he realized what he mentally said, he shook his head, ridding of those thoughts. Probably, the girl heard the boy clenching his teeth, making her turn to him. And as she turned, that's where Mikuo was struck badly.

She had a large, clear emerald green eye with red eye shadows - the other was covered by the bangs of her teal hair, which was let down, but had some strand of it braided as a headband and some of her hair were tied up in a bun; a gold and silver headdress adorned at the hair bun; and pale complexion. And he noticed that her kimono exposed her chest a little. But he didn't mind that part...

Over all, she looked perfect. Mysterious. Innocent. But then...

As she met his awestruck eyes, she narrowed her eyes and had her right hand hover over her one of her sword hilts, making her look tough. Mikuo, after realizing what she did, stood straight up, gripping on his dagger. He stared at her with now ferocious eyes.

Both were now in a lunge pose, both prepared to attack anytime. Suddenly, the dry wind blew, making the girl's hair flutter. If further made the boy feel...awkward. He didn't know what that feeling was, but he didn't care. He didn't show what he felt.

"Who are you?" they spoke at the same time. The two tealettes' eyes suddenly narrowed further in suspicion.

Yes, she looked beautiful, and that made him feel bad. If she were wicked, she would get hurt by him, which was not the thing he wanted. He was a gentleman, and he knew that hurting women was terrible. Yet he couldn't do anything. He had to do it if she were a bad person, for his safety.

At first, she seemed innocent. But her threatening pose stated otherwise. She was dangerously beautiful. At first, she was like a fragile piece of porcelain. But upon seeing her in that pose and the look in her eyes, he changed his mind.

He didn't want to hurt her...

He just hoped that she were kind like his first impression of her.

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_AruuYuda-1601: At first I thought of making this a oneshot, but I think it was going to be too long. I think. To make me continue this, reviews please! _


	2. Legendary Swords Ayasaki and Gekkou

_AruuYuda-1601: And no one reviewed. Too bad that I want to continue this. Even though the first chapter only had 24 views. _O_Q _I'm sad. So sad._

_Meh. Read on?_

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Being a gentleman he was, Mikuo relaxed a little, loosening his grip on the silver dagger. But his mind was still prepared. Still alert.

"Look," he started, eying the glaring girl. "I don't want to hurt you or anything... Ladies first...? Who are you?"

He knew that somehow, his statement was rather...lame. Really, he thought. He needed to decrease his lameness and become somewhat...cool.

_Was that the word?_

"No. I won't tell, unless you state yours and tell me your motives," the girl replied, clutching on the sword hilt. She was still glaring intensely at the boy.

Mikuo couldn't do anything, so he just gave in to her. He stood up straight.

"Mikuo Hatsune is my name. I'm from the town at the eastern foot of this mountain. I was...am...searching for my friend who was possessed by a...demon." He looked down, returning the dagger in the cloth bag. As he looked up slowly, he noticed the girl's glare softening to a gaze.

"Demon?" she asked, standing up from her lunge. She tilted her head to the side on a small angle.

Mikuo sighed. "Yes. It isn't surprising, since everybody around believes in the supernatural. Especially about being poss-."

"No," the girl interrupted. "I don't find it surprising. In fact, I'm searching for one, too," she ended, blinking her emerald green eyes.

Mikuo's eyes widened. She was searching for one, too? Did that mean that she could be some help to him? Even a little bit?

"First off, did you see your friend leaving?" she asked.

"I did."

"Good. Did he, or she, have a sword with him as he left?"

"He did."

The girl muttered things he didn't hear. But it was near "_I wonder if that was..._" She put her index finger on her soft-looking, pink lips, probably pondering about something. With that gesture, Mikuo's cheeks nearly burst crimson. He scratched his cheek.

"Did you see its details?" she continued.

"Yes. That was the only thing I saw just before he disappeared. A silver scabbard with red cloud patterns. It was glossy, I think. Then the hilt was green."

"What about his hair? What color?" the girl further asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I heard from rumors that he had a silver one."

The interrogation ended with the girl sighing heavily. She muttered a word that he felt that he needed to know. And Mikuo couldn't hold himself. He couldn't shut his mouth forever.

He looked at her in the eye.

"E-excuse me?" Mikuo asked.

"Your friend..."

Mikuo furrowed his eyebrows.

"What?"

The sun already set, making the then-orange sky turn to a dark, cold blue.

"_I know the demon._"

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

"So your name's Miku? Pretty much the same as mine, huh."

"It does. And it surprised me, since I perfectly knew that we didn't have any connection with each other. Surely I didn't have your surname. I have no surname."

The moon was already up – a quarter moon. It was shining, but its light didn't reach the depths of the dark forest. Because of that, the two new acquaintances had to sit under a tree and wait for the coming dawn.

"And you said that you knew the one who possessed my friend. How come?"

Miku blinked and took the glass flask that Mikuo offered her. She took a sip from it and returned the bottle to him.

"Let's say that I am the one who guarded them in their...prison."

Mikuo was baffled with that bit of information she gave him. She? A demon-prison guard?

"H-how..."

"I chase loose demons and lock them up. That's simple. But one escaped from that. And it turned out that the one who escaped was one of the strongest. He managed to escape my protected prison. I don't know how. Plus, he was a sadistic one," she said. "Truly sadistic."

Mikuo nodded, but he was uncertain. "Then, how did you know at once by just having me tell you what I saw?"

Miku closed her eyes. "I know that sword. And that one is legendary. Most old townsfolk would probably say they knew about it."

"Legendary? If it were, why did I have no knowledge about it?" Mikuo asked, his voice getting a little impatient. But not too agitated to make the girl annoyed.

"I don't know with you. But that sword is the_ Ayasaki_, the demon sword. Known for its hunger for blood and soul. Your friend was given that. And did rumors say something about what your friend does around?"

Mikuo sighed. "Well, rumor has it that he was around killing people for their soul as food..."

"Then it's really the_ Ayasaki_," she breathed out, standing up to get a fruit from the tree. "You're going around chasing after your possessed friend with no weapon but a set of daggers. You have no chance – you know that, do you?"

The boy sighed again for the umpteenth time. "I know. But my father didn't give me any sword. I'm not even eighteen."

Eighteen was the age when town boys were given their swords from their fathers, as the tradition and custom stated. At that age, boys were already skilled at handling those kinds of weapons, because their fathers taught them sword-fighting at the tender age of five. However, Mikuo was only sixteen-and-a-half years old when he left for his expedition.

"Ah, the custom. Well then, I'll try defying that," she said, turning to him.

"Defy?"

"Don't worry. You have a reason to own one, haven't you?" she said, looking at him in the eye with amusement. Mikuo nearly gave up his pale face. Which meant that he nearly blushed at that look.

She untied one belt from her slender hip, removing a sword scabbard. She handed it to the boy with a slight smile on her face. Mikuo received it with a nod.

He unsheathed it, revealing a silver blade with intricate-patterned engraving on it. He saw that some parts of the pattern had embedded diamonds on it. He breathed heavily in awe.

"What the- It seems that I am not worthy to use this one!"

Miku calmly smiled. "Don't worry. I gave it to you, and that means that it's yours. It's also a legen-"

"No! I think this is too much for me!" Mikuo, awestruck, exclaimed.

"-dary sword," Miku continued, her eyes narrowing. "And, I am the master of that one. I willingly gave it to you, and now you are its master, because once you touch it with my permission – my approval of ownership transfer, it's yours. No turning back now," she finished.

Mikuo stared at the glinting sword. It was glinting, even though there was no light around except the moonlight. He raised it and slashed it in the air.

"This...is beautiful, Miku. Thank you."

Miku smiled contentedly. At last he surrendered to her persisting. "I want you to take care of it. It's the sword of _Gekkou_ – the legendary sword which draws power from the moonlight. And that means that it unleashes its true power at nighttime. I gave it to you, because that one might be the opponent of the _Ayasaki_, which was stronger in daytime."

Mikuo couldn't help grinning at himself, looking like an utter fool. "The legendary sword, _Gekkou_..." he muttered. But he suddenly looked up.

"But why me? You should have given me the other sword. Probably it's weaker than this."

Miku pursed her lips. "I chose to give you that one, for your safety. Also," she gripped on the hilt of the sword hanging on her hip, "This one is also a legendary, but unnamed, sword. Its name is not really_ Hokaku_. It was just a name given by people - not by its original owner - for identification. I got this one as a gift from my warrior grandfather. This one draws power from the air and winds."

The boy was taken aback. So he really shouldn't get hold of the other sword, for it was her prized possession besides _Gekkou_.

"Oh, I apologize."

She yawned. "We must sleep and prepare for our journey tomorrow. You wouldn't want to travel with a tired mind and body, would you?"

Mikuo shook his head. Of course, travelers wouldn't want to. So he returned the sword to its sheath, laid it next to him and he relaxed and sat down, leaning against the tree trunk. Miku did so, too, sitting next to him a foot apart.

The boy tried to close his eyes, but he couldn't, because such a girl was near him. He was a little uncomfortable.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

"_So he's with her..."_

He executed a dash as fast as the wind, landing on a thick tree branch, completely hidden by twigs and bunches of leaves. He squatted on it, staring at the two teal-haired people sleeping under the tree.

"_How romantic...Pity that I might, oh no, WILL end it."_

He gazed at them with yellow eyes in amusement, smirking wickedly.

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_AruuYuda-1601: Guess who's at the end? Mwehehehe. Meh. I bet no one would review. And I am still depressed. Fuu._

_Notes 'ere. The sword names, Ayasaki and Gekkou, were mentioned in the song. But the Hokaku isn't. I just randomly searched the Japanese word for "capture". But I don't even trust Google Translate. But, meh. I just saw a picture of Knife version Miku with two swords, so the other one must have a name._

_Reviews, anybody? *sits at the room corner* *shakes a tin can with a "REVIEWS" label on it* _O_Q


	3. A Mocking Voice

_AruuYuda-1601: Yaaaay! Two reviews~ *shot* 50+ views! *shot again* Now I'm happy enough to continue~_

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Dawn approached.

Mikuo felt a tug at his kimono sleeve, waking him up from his deep slumber. As he opened his tired eyes, he found himself face to face with the girl she just met yesterday.

He almost blushed again. For countless times since yesterday. She looked damn graceful – womanly, but with some hints of being child-like. Innocent. He thought that he needed a cotton towel for his soon-to-be bloody nose.

What he didn't notice on her face yesterday was that her left eye was covered with a white cloth strip bandage. He didn't see it, because yesterday, her side-swept bangs covered that area.

"Good morning, Mikuo. It's already dawn, and we must start our journey, don't you think?" she asked, voice a little quiet.

Mikuo rubbed his eyes and stood up, stretching his limbs. Miku stepped back and put her hands behind her.

"True, true," he answered. He looked up at her, examining the bandaged eye. Miku looked away, putting her slender hand on it.

"When and why did you get an eye injury?"

The girl sighed. "I got this two years ago, battling with some of the demons before I captured them."

Mikuo mouthed an "oh", looking down. In sympathy or whatever reason, Miku didn't know. As he looked down, she shuffled forward a little.

"But, do I look horrible with this?" she asked. Her pale face partly gained color.

Mikuo breathed and smiled. "What, you're worried about your face?" he slightly smirked.

Miku blushed. It was the first time she blushed...right?

And because of that, he had to suppress his urge to bite his lip and blush, too.

"No... Don't take it like I'm worried. I don't even... It's not like I'm..."

He chuckled. The cold, misty dawn wind blew. He softly eyed her.

"Don't worry."

The blushing girl looked up at him, eyes wide. She still had her hand on her injured eye.

"You're still _beautiful_, even if you have that injury."

He walked closer to her and ruffled her hair, smiling. Miku giggled softly.

"Stop it, Mikuo... You're ruining my hair..."

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

They walked past trees, jumped over calm, water streams, and ran away from some wild, dangerous animals like bears and snakes.

Their journey continued.

Mikuo ran his fingers through his hair. He was now sweaty and tired, but not too tired, unlike his expedition before the girl, who was in front of him, showed up. He now had a companion. He now had someone who could help him.

Images of what they did just before they left for their journey flashed through his mind. He shook his head.

He just thought of what he did and said to the girl – ruffling her hair, uttering compliments...

He should have thought about it before acting. It made him look like...

_He was in love with her..._

Mikuo shook his head again wildly. Lucky that she couldn't see him doing that.

No, that thought was ridiculous. He knew_ perfectly _that he wasn't in love with her. Or with anybody. No, not at all.

But one would think he does. He was constantly at the verge of blushing every time she looked at him, or when he looked at her. He regarded her as pretty and dangerously beautiful even she had an eye injury.

_And he was enjoying her company._

And one would also think that the girl also did. She was happy when the boy touched her hair. She was blushing when she asked him about her appearance. She was stuttering like what a normal, in-love girl would do.

Miku shook her head and clenched her fists tightly.

"_I shouldn't have asked about it... How foolish of me..." _she thought. _"That wasn't an action of a proper lady..."_

Hours had passed. It was already past noon, probably past lunch. The sun was blazing in heat, positioned at the highest point in the sky, and hot winds blew, making them sweat more. They needed to stop again under a tree which bore some fruits.

Which was not surprising. It's the forest, anyway. And at least, they already have something to eat as their lunch.

The two teal-haired companions sat under it, on the dry grass. Not before picking some fruits on the tree. They rested and conversed with each other.

"How did you become a demon prison guard?" Mikuo asked. Miku glanced at him in interest and amusement.

"You seem to be curious. All the time. Since we met, you've been asking a lot of questions," Miku returned, biting a portion of the fruit on her hand. Mikuo frowned, slowly munching on the pear. Miku had to laugh at his action, because he looked hilarious. He looked like a goat chewing on grass. An eating llama, maybe.

"What, do I look stupid or something?" he asked, eyes drooping. He totally blushed now. Not that he was being ridiculed, but her laugh was melodic. Teasing, but musical to his ears.

He concluded, mentally, that she was perfect.

She was not a damsel in distress – she looked like a fierce fighter. And that sounded fierce and amazing. She was beautiful, despite her eye injury. She had the gait of a proper lady despite her fierceness. She looked innocent, but she was womanly at times.

He just realized what he thought. He mentally hit his idiotic head with a heavy two-kilogram hammer.

"Frankly, you look like a chewing llama."

Mikuo playfully hit her head with his fist. The girl clutched her head and exclaimed in mock pain.

"No, really. You still didn't answer my question," Mikuo said. Miku stood up, dusting off her revealing kimono dress.

"Stand up. We'll continue now with our journey." She offered her hand for the boy to take. He grabbed it and stood up.

"You're avoiding the question?"

"I'm not. Here's the answer: Easy. I came from a family of monks and priestesses. I chose not to be a priestess – because I thought it was hard work. Well, I thought I couldn't work like them. I'm only seventeen. So they gave me an easy and enjoyable job – guarding a demon prison. Not much of an elaborate answer, since it was just simple," she returned.

Mikuo nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"So, do you still have more questions to ask?" the girl mockingly asked. "While I'm still in the mood to answer."

The mocked boy jokingly frowned at her. "I'll shut my mouth."

"No, really?"

"I don't have any," he replied, assuring her, slightly smiling. They continued on their way.

An hour later, they reached another clearing. They passed through it, seeing nothing important nor interesting in it. They continued on their way.

As they walked, they felt something _odd_. It was like _someone_ or _something_ was staring at them. Observing them.

"Be on guard," Miku instructed, whispering.

"I'm always on-guard," the boy replied, nodding his head.

They cautiously shuffled on the dry grass while eying their surroundings constantly, left-and-right. The hot wind blew again.

They heard some twigs crack, but they both knew that they weren't stepping on any. So, probably, there was someone or something around them. Enemy or not, they must be alert. Animal or not, they must be prepared. Wild or not, they must be on guard. For their safety.

They heard a faint _chuckle_, and it made them stiffen. Their hearts nearly skipped a beat in slight fear.

"_You know, you two look funny, seemingly aware of their surroundings,"_ a voice, not-to-deep and mocking, rang in the air. The two companions nearly ran in fear.

They turned their heads anywhere, but they saw no one around. They slowly continued on their path, but they flinched as they heard the voice faintly laughing.

"Who are you? Don't be a coward and come out!" Miku threatened, voice alto. Just like when she first encountered Mikuo, doubting him. Taking caution. She gripped on her sword hilt. Mikuo did so, too, narrowing his eyes and scanning the forest.

"_Aw, you two look sweet. Acting like each other,"_ the voice cooed. _"How romantic."_

The two felt their blood surge through their pale faces. The voice, again, laughed.

"Stop mocking us and face us, you imbecile!" Mikuo raged. He tightened his grip on his sword. It was the first time the girl saw him like that... But she just met him yesterday, so it wasn't that strange for her. It was just, the boy was suited to be calm and collected. Not raging.

Suddenly, the laughing voice faded away. The sound of cracking twigs started, and it ended shortly.

Maybe the person went away, probably. There were no mocking replies after that. There was no laughter after that.

Who was the owner of the voice?

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

_AruuYuda-1601: So, maybe the one who owned the voice was pretty...obvious? Meh. Just leave reviews for me, please? I appreciate reviews~_


	4. Meeting At Last

_AruuYuda-1601: Thank you peeps for the reviews~ And now, for the fourth chapter!_

_Warnings: Major. Sucking. Fluff. Ahead. I dunno. Lol._

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After the mysterious voice faded, they stood there, still feeling whether the owner of the voice was still there or not. They still needed to make sure. If not, then it was possible that they were digging their own graves. They still had their hands gripped on their sword hilts.

But the voice didn't echo again. Not again.

They released their hands from the hilts. They cautiously walked away from their spot and continued on their journey.

The voice's mocking laugh still resounded in their sensitive ears.

Even though Mikuo didn't feel the aura of the person – for that person was too far away – he could tell that this person's aura was dark. It was obvious, wasn't it? He sounded wicked. Mocking.

The two companions trudged through the dark autumn forest. They were still mentally raging about what happened. The mysterious person was aggravating! The boy swore that if he ever found that person, he would rip that person's head off and burn it. Then the girl swore that if she ever found that annoying person, she would stab him repeatedly in different places.

How...cruel and brutal, one would think. But that reflected their anger and aggravation.

_Pity that they didn't know who the person was._

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

Sunset quickly arrived. It was autumn, anyway. The sky already had its orange-red hue, and there were cirrus clouds.

The two still didn't stop while sunlight was still present. In just a few hours, nighttime would come, so they needed to travel as far as possible.

Sometimes, they thought that searching the mountains was sort of useless. The person whom they were searching for was mobile. He could be anywhere where the two weren't present. There was almost an impossible chance of encountering him, they thought. But still, they relied on the few chances of finding him and luck.

_Hoping wouldn't hurt, right?_

The dry leaves crunched under their feet, and faint cracking sounds of twigs resounded.

The orange-red sky gradually turned dark. It was already nighttime. The moon was still brilliant – just like last night, the night when Mikuo met Miku. But still, its light didn't reach the depths of the dark forest. So, once again, the two rested under a tree. The cold wind blew, sending them into slight shivers.

The two just ate some fruits again from the tree, and they talked about how pissed they were with the mysterious person. And the two just slept as soon as they finished, and as they felt exhaustion take over their bodies. They spent the night without doing anything interesting.

Mikuo set himself down, with Miku beside him. They were back to back.

"So, good night, Miku."

"Same to you, Kuo-kun."

Then Miku's emerald eyes – no, eye - closed, her breathing now going even and soft.

Mikuo's aquamarine eyes were halfway through closing when he realized what she said.

What?

S-she...called...him...

...W-with a pet name...?

K-ku-Kuo-kun?

The mentally-flabbergasted boy shook his head. He felt his blood surging and heavily rushing through the veins of his cheeks. He felt something like shaking and wobbling in his stomach.

Why did she call him using a pet name?

It perked up his curiosity. He had an urge to wake her up, but he knew better than disrupting nice slumbers.

_"P-perhaps I could ask her tomorrow..."_ he thought, so he settled himself down comfortably and tried to sleep, which, despite his awkward feeling, succeeded.

And that act added five points to his Gentlemen's Code of Conduct.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

The sky was still dark. Probably past midnight, since the sky was beginning to be lighter than midnight blue.

The girl felt something...dark. Supernaturally dark. As she sensed it, she quickly stood up, being too careful not to wake her companion up. She gripped her sword again.

For how many times did she grip her sword, since the day she met Mikuo, again? Multiple times, she recounted. His meeting with Mikuo, the obstacles on their way including wild animals and fallen trees, and the voice...

Many times.

Her head turned to her left. From far away, she could see a faint glowing yellow. An unknown thing, she thought. She knew better than see a possibly dangerous thing up close, so she just stood there, guarding herself and her companion.

A feeling of protectiveness for Mikuo came over her. She stepped closer to where the sleeping boy was, still watching the glowing yellow in suspicion.

She just realized what she felt.

She swore mentally, gritting her teeth. She also just realized that she greeted Mikuo good night with a...pet name.

Now she resisted the urge to shout _"I'm such an idiot!"_ and kick the poor tree behind her.

Well, what do you know? She might be in love with her companion. What was rather off was that she just met him yesterday. She couldn't be in love within a day, could she?

Perhaps...love at first sight?

No.

The girl wanted to shake her head off. How insolent of her.

The yellow glow slightly narrowed, and it disappeared quickly. Faded away in just a second.

What was that?

As she saw it fading quickly, she loosened her grip and relaxed a little. It was possible that it can come back and hurt them, so she still maintained her alertness. But it was also possible that she might be imagining things.

The feeling of darkness was now gone, and it partly assured her that nothing would happen next, so she let go of the hilt and sat down beside the slumbering boy.

Because of her thoughts a while ago, that made her examine him a little more.

He didn't look plain, at all. His glassy aquamarine eyes were unique, she knew. She moved a little closer and peeked at his calm, sleeping face from his kimono-clothed back.

His eyelashes were long. As long as hers. His nose was handsomely, and his lips were nice. Soft looking. His skin was unblemished and smooth. Pale. And his hair, just like the color of her hair, was just as silky as hers.

She imagined her hair cut in a style like his. Maybe they would look like twins. Unrelated, however. She had to suppress a giggle.

Then his calm voice... Miku sighed in...fascination.

She shook her head, quit her observation session and went back to sleep with a faint smile on her face.

Maybe she was in-love, after all. He was kind to her. They had the same goals. They looked like each other – which was not a good reason to be, maybe...

_But still..._

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

As soon as the two woke up, Mikuo worked up the courage to ask the girl about the pet name she used. He expected an embarrassed expression accompanying a stuttering comeback from her, and yes, she returned what he expected.

"Wha... When did I-" she stuttered.

"Just last night. You said 'Good night, Kuo-kun'," Mikuo said, amused, mimicking her voice. Which sort of succeeded.

Flustered, she replied, "M-maybe sudden urges..."

"One girl doesn't simply call a boy whom she just met with a pet name," the boy stated, voice mocking.

"N-now stop it. You s-sound like the mocking voice," she frowned adorably.

Mikuo chuckled lightly. Miku headbutted the boy with her soft palm, but Mikuo just moaned in mock pain.

They continued with the long journey, trudging along the bumpy, grassy path. The mysterious mocking voice didn't come this time.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

Weeks have passed now.

The mocking voice came about again at least three times, but they really didn't encounter him.

One would imagine how the two developed now. For instance, Mikuo was now shielding and helping Miku from the loose demons they encountered along the way (it was relieving that Miku still brought about her white, crystal bottles the size of the length of a palm, where the souls of the demons were shut).

Then they both tended to each others' wounds if they got one from battling those demons, or from wild animals which attacked them.

They seemed much more closer than before, calling each other pet names. So Miku called Mikuo "Kuo-kun", and the boy called her "Mi-san." Well, he felt sort of awkward using "-chan" as a suffix for her...

And it amused the mocking voice's owner, which was, in fact, watching them from afar.

Another day had passed, and the two reached another bald patch of the forest – a clearing, that is.

And it surprised Mikuo. Appalled and excited. Excited in a little bad way. He quickly took out_ Gekkou_ from its sheath.

There was the boy he was finding – standing there with an amused face. He was smirking evilly.

Long silver hair twisted up in a ponytail, yellow eyes, ghostly pale skin, a purple and red intricately-patterned kimono slightly revealing his toned chest and _the familiar sword sheath_ hanging beside him...

_It was really him. His friend. His possessed friend._

Miku took a glance at the sheath, and it instantly made her unsheathe her own sword. Mikuo noticed, from a short side glance, that her eyes turned fully frightening. Fierce. Like it was sending a message that no one could interfere with her.

He looked at the amused boy again. He seemed to be expecting the two.

"Tired of the useless fox hunt?" he started, his voice familiar.

His statement made the two jerk up.

_It was the mocking voice. _

Mikuo's hand loosened its grip on the legendary sword hilt, lowering his arm.

"L-Len?" Mikuo shakily asked.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

_AruuYuda-1601: So Miku is a tsundere, after all._

_Crappy ending, setting, time transition and grammar. And with that note, buh-bye~_

_*skids out of the room*_

_*comes back*_

_Oh. Reviews, please. _:D

_Now, the real thing..._

_Buh-bye~_

_*dashes out of the room*_

_EDIT: I changed "crimson", (the crimson glow; crimson eyes) to "yellow". I keep forgetting that they were yellow in the PV. Sorry._


	5. Failed First Wave of Deception

_AruuYuda-1601: Ah, I'm kinda excited to write the next chapter, since Len had appeared and there were additional reviews! Yay!_

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

Aquamarine and emerald green orbs regarded the silver-haired boy – the aquamarine ones in shock and surprise; the emerald green ones in pure suspicion and alertness.

The silver-haired boy's eyelids lowered slowly over his yellow eyes. His lips curved into a slight smirk, pure amusement present in his calm and collected face.

The autumn wind blew, making a few dry leaves flutter in the air. The girl's long teal hair also fluttered.

"I just thought of helping you in your hunt," the silver-haired boy slyly said. There was that mocking tone again. And the two thought that the tone would never be gone.

Mikuo nearly dropped _Gekkou, _but still managed to clutch on it.

"L-Len... What has become of you..." he weakly said.

"Len? Who's...'Len'?" the boy asked, slyness present in the tone. He raised his eyebrow.

The girl still had her threatening focus upon the boy. "The _Ayasaki_ really got your friend, Kuo-kun. I'm very sorry if I ever hurt him."

"T-the _Ayasaki..._"Mikuo mouthed weakly. The two companions' heads shot up as the boy before them chuckled evilly.

"My, my," the boy, presumably Len, breathed. "Mikuo Hatsune. Len Kagamine's best friend. In the past," he paused. Miku just blinked, while the other gripped his sword harder. "Sorry, but this Len isn't the Len that you knew," he said in a way that sounded like he was drawling.

Mikuo gritted his teeth. Sweat trickled down his forehead.

It had gotten worse. At first, he was just fine. If he ever did something against it as soon as he felt it, he would have been normal now. He wouldn't have searched the mountains for months. He regretted not taking immediate action.

_But if he did, he wouldn't have met his only companion_... He shook that thought off.

He needed to focus upon what's before him. What was in front of him. Nothing else. He shouldn't show more of his weakness, or they would be much prone to being hurt. He knew that his former friend was now a genuine _fiend,_ not to be neglected or taken easily. He knew that, because of the demon's possession, the silver-haired boy could attack anytime.

"And, my," Len interrupted Mikuo's train of thought, "The pretty girl who tails behind you!" He walked closer to the girl, making her tense up and grit her teeth in aggravation.

"Don't _dare_ touch her, Len," Mikuo snapped, voice a little quiet. He lowered his head, his bangs creating shadows over his aquamarine eyes.

Len sneered and stepped closer. "I'm very sorry. I'm very _daring_ to do so," he said, emphasizing the word. He reached out and picked up a lock of hair from the girl.

"Don't!" Mikuo bellowed.

"Why, isn't she beautiful?" he remarked, running his fingers through the lock of hair. He even _twirled_ it, much to the teal-haired boy's displeasure. The girl, whose anger was turned on, turned around and tried to slash the demon-possessed boy. However, Len leaped in the air, dodging it. He, as fast as the wind, landed behind the teal-haired boy and instantly hit his neck with his elbow.

Miku turned back and saw the demon-possessed boy hit her companion with his elbow.

"No!" she yelled. She ran forward, but Mikuo already collapsed on the dry ground, leaving her watching in shock.

...He was hit on the vital spot, near the nape, just before he noticed the evil boy landing behind him.

"N-no way..." she stuttered, eyes widening.

"Yes way," the boy returned, smirking. "You know what? You should start leaving that boy. Or else, it would spell problems for you."

Miku gritted her teeth again, gripping _Hokaku_ very tightly.

"_You're trying to deceive me!" _she raged. She attacked the demon-possessed boy again with a slash of her sword, but he nonchalantly stepped sideways, dodging the attack.

"My, my. How fierce."

Another slash that had been dodged.

"It is either you forgot, or you were just defying rules," he said, amused. His yellow eyes regarded her emerald ones. Miku knitted her eyebrows.

Forgot? What did she forget...? Defy? What rules did she defy...?

Len snickered. Mikuo stirred a little, slowly and weakly, watching the two a few meters away. He felt that he was partly numb. Close to being paralyzed, since he was hit at the neck too hard.

Miku immediately slashed her sword again, not wanting to talk to the demon anymore. The demon just leaped away, avoiding all the slashes, which were as fast as the wind.

Len suddenly took out _Ayasaki_ from its sheathe, blocking a slash from the girl. A clanging sound resounded in the quiet air, disturbing the birds perched from the trees, making them fly away in shock and fear, trilling. A few feathers were scattered in the air as they did so.

_Ayasaki_ glinted in the glaring sunlight, revealing the intricate patterns engraved on it, as well as five small rubies embedded on it.

_It was rubies clashing against aquamarines, which were embedded on the girl's sword._

Mikuo groaned in pain, trying to reach out for his neck and back, but he couldn't, provided that he was slightly paralyzed.

The clashing continued.

Miku was almost wounded severely as the Len thrust _Ayasaki _towards her stomach. She narrowly avoided it, earning a slight gash on her right side, which was searing in pain. Blood flowed out from the gash.

The slightly paralyzed boy's eyes widened. _"MI-SAN!"_

The girl winced, clutching her side. She gritted her teeth again and thrust her sword towards Len's. It was a strong thrust – strong enough to make a fairly small crack on one embedded ruby.

It was that point when Mikuo saw Len grit his teeth, and he drew back, retreating. He escaped the unfinished battle, almost not being seen because of his speed, which was like the blowing wind.

Miku bit her bottom lip in pain as she neared the weak boy. He tried to extend his arm to her, which was partly a failure. But at least he could move his limb a little.

"W-why did he r-retreat?"

The girl sighed. "One down, four to go..." She weakly collapsed herself on the dry ground, kneeling beside him.

Mikuo didn't know what she was talking about, face distorting in question. As the girl noticed his expression, she smiled tiredly and apologetically.

"I'm very sorry, Kuo-kun... I forgot to tell you that..."

"W-what?"

Miku helped him up, making him lean on a nearby tree. She was fairly strong enough to carry a heavy boy, so that was easy for her.

"Did you see the embedded stones on our swords? The three kinds of gems?"

Mikuo nodded – but not vigorously because of his condition – remembering the rubies on _Ayasaki_, the diamonds on _Gekkou_, and the aquamarines on _Hokaku_.

"The only way to expel the demon spirit from the human is to break all five of them. A slight crack would suffice. If the demon was already expelled, the gems would turn charcoal black. The only thing left to do after that is to capture the demon in your own way. That is the safe way."

Safe way? Then that meant there was also a dangerous way.

"If t-that was t-the s-safe wa-way... O-out of c-curiosity... What is the d-dangerous way?"

Mikuo inhaled fiercely after saying that lengthy sentence. Miku was unwrapping the cloth bandage from her stomach, re-wrapping it around to cover her gash. Droplets of blood were absorbed through the cotton cloth.

"The dangerous way?" she asked, making a knot to finish it. "Kill the human, then capture the demon. That method, not to mention the most wicked way, is also the easiest. Yet I don't use that. I am humane, you see.

"Therefore, you must make sure that the diamonds on your sword must be kept safe. The spirit inside it isn't a demon, but the way of preserving its power is still the same."

Mikuo now understood. Miku already cracked one of the five. Then, if all were destroyed, Len would be freed, he would leave Miku to the capturing, and they would all go back home. Perhaps, after all this, he could bring Miku with him.

_...And probably marry her..._

He tried hard to discard that indecent idea. Poor him, he couldn't shake his head vigorously... He couldn't even grit his teeth. His muscles were now weak and partly numb.

He should focus on the present, shouldn't he?

She tried to stand up. She was now better. The searing pain was gone, and it made her move freely. She offered her hand to the boy, but he shook his head.

"Come on. The only way to cure that slight paralysis is to let you walk as often as you can, and to feed you some certain herbs," she lectured. "You're lucky that I still can move, so that I could help you."

Mikuo sighed and slowly lifted his right arm, grabbing her outstretched hand. She pulled him up, smiling, and supported his body by putting his arm around her shoulder.

They slowly walked down the dry path.

Then the boy remembered what his demon-possessed friend said to the girl while at battle.

"_You know what? You should start leaving that boy. Or else, it would spell problems for you."_

That semi-deep voice still rang in his ears. What were those problems?

"_It is either you forgot, or you were just defying rules."_

He wanted to know what was that about. He paused for a while from his walk, making the girl stop, as well. She glanced at him, curiosity in her features.

"Say, m-Mi-san..."

"What is it?"

"W-what did Len tell y-you while you were fighting?"

Miku closed her eyes and sighed.

"Honestly..."

The boy just blinked his eyes, waiting for an answer. The autumn wind blew.

"I don't know what he was talking about. I think I didn't forget anything, nor I defied any rules... I'm not lying, Kuo-kun. Lying is not in my vocabulary. I've never lied in my whole life."

It was the truth. She didn't know, either. Mikuo clutched her hand reassuringly, soft skin against soft skin.

"J-just promise me t-that you won't be deceived b-by him, okay?"

Miku smiled. "Don't worry. I promise."

The blue sky slowly turned light orange. They walked together on the dry path laden with dried-up grass, leaves, twigs and protruding tree roots.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

_AruuYuda-1601: Kinda...messy? Well, leave me some reviews, pretty please? Tell me what you think about this. _:D


	6. All Waiting

_AruuYuda-ShoriKyuyu: Oh noes. Late update. Oh wow, nineteen reviews. Thank you, dearies~_

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

Moonlight already appeared, penetrating some parts of the deep forest grounds. But still, it was mostly dark – as dark as what one sees when they close their eyes. As dark as one would feel if one were all alone.

And thankfully, Mikuo had a trustworthy companion beside him – all caring and quite the worrier for him.

They both squinted their eyes to see the path, searching for a suitable place to rest, where there were no snakes or bugs. After weaving through a lot of trees, they chanced upon a tree with no "inhabitants", but had edible fruits. Miku carefully put the semi-paralyzed boy down, leaning him against the tree.

She crouched down beside him, gazing at him, concern present in her emerald eye.

"Well," she breathed. "Do you still feel weak and numb?"

Mikuo smiled a little. "Not much. I can move a little now. It's just a slight p-paralysis..."

His speech improved, unlike a while ago, when he was still shaking and stuttering weakly. Now, he stuttered less. He didn't breath heavily after that lengthy sentence. He slowly lifted up both of his arms up to its extent, which was almost level to his chest, to show her that he could move a little.

"How about your neck?" she asked, uncovering part of the kimono and part of his teal hair that concealed his neck. There was a large bruise on it. A color of greenish-gray. She frowned a little, seeing that imperfection on his perfect skin. How she hoped that she was the one who caught that hit instead... How she hoped that she acted faster...

"Kind o-of stinging, but it's all right. I'm fine, really. You don't h-have to worry."

The girl's eyebrows knitted together in worry. "Then... Well, just take some good rest, will you? I'll get you some bilberries tomorrow and get that bruise off."

"Where will you get t-them?"

"We'll go north to end up in the driest part of the mountain, which is the peak. Bilberries grow there. But I couldn't leave you all alone, so we'll go together tomorrow at dawn."

Mikuo nodded in understanding.

She stood up and grabbed two mangoes from the one of the tree's low branch. She knew that, from just the texture and smell of the fruit, it was ripe and sweet. Those yellow mangoes...

She sat down and unpeeled the fruits with Mikuo's dagger, which she got from his cloth bag. She helped him eat, holding the fruit with her left hand and lifting it up to his mouth. She had her own fruit on her right hand.

She fumbled for the boy's glass flask, wanting to drink water. She got the bottle from the cloth sack, only to find the bottle only a quarter full. It was just a while ago, in the afternoon, when they took a water refill from a clean waterhole near where they rested... That was how they easily thirst.

"Augh... We need to get water, too, tomorrow," she muttered. She offered the water first to the injured boy, but he shook his head slowly, smiling.

"You drink first. It's a-all right."

Miku pouted, hesitantly taking a gulp. She didn't want to waste the drink.

The night passed through, with the two sleeping peacefully, and thankfully, there were no things that bothered them. Even the demon-possessed boy didn't bother them. Their hands were interlocked as they slept, assuring each other that they were there for each other.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

Oh, yes, he didn't bother them. But he _watched_ over them. He was very amused every time he observed them from atop a large tree.

_Ah, the pretty girl was quite the worrier._ He was amused with her pouting face. And, he was amused at the thought of the useless fox hunt's outcome – with him as the _victor_...

He already had plans. Plans to break them apart and defeat the two of them, so that no one would stand in his way of consuming souls for himself.

So he already told the beautiful, attractive girl that if she didn't stay away from Mikuo Hatsune, she would meet problems.

_What were those problems?_

He just needed to hear it from her. It was most _exciting_ when answers come out from the concerned person's mouth, wasn't it? His lips curved up into a knowing and amused smirk.

His trap was already set. He would just wait for her to step right into it.

_What if she didn't ever step into that trap of deceit? She seemed too smart to have her caught in it..._

Then he would give her a _little_ push by telling her the answers _convincingly_. It was that simple.

_'Now, when shall I meet those two little hunters?' _he wondered.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

"_Once we meet him again... This wicked destiny released by my hands..."_

She glanced at the teal-haired boy, who was already capable of moving his four limbs. She frowned, clutching the hilt of her sheathed sword.

"_It would be better if we will meet him at night, for ensured victory..."_

The boy glanced at her. As he caught her glancing at him, too, he gave a soft smile. The girl returned it, but slightly forced. She had other things running in her mind.

"_I will sever it the very night we meet him..."_

She stood up.

She thought that it was all her fault – that the demon escaped her, and she failed to retrieve it as soon as possible. That demon took over the body of her dear companion's best friend, and that demon-possessed boy hurt him.

She couldn't stand seeing him hurt by his own best friend. So she had to end it all.

Another set of thoughts invaded her mind.

What were the problems that the demon-possessed boy was talking about?

It was killing her – the curiosity was killing her. Not that much. But still. She didn't know the answer, herself. She didn't do anything wrong, right? There was nothing wrong with being together with her current companion, right?

Sometimes, she thought that she would ask the demon-possessed boy if they met again. But she had to be very careful, in order not to fall into that trap.

Their search continued the next day, when the then-injured boy was fully recovered, and was now able to walk on his own without complaining about being in pain.

When would they meet the demon-possessed boy, again? They couldn't wait for any longer.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

_AruuYuda-ShoriKyuyu: Ehehe. I think this is a little... I dunno. More Len in the later chapters~_


	7. The Canary and the Deceptive Cat

_AruuYuda-ShoriKyuyu: So... This is kinda just a filler chapter. Because I felt that this was left untouched for quite some time. Hehe. And I'm still thinking about something regarding the plot and the actions I'm going to put down._

_And I'm starting to get busy over my studies. Summer's over in my country, you see... Plus, I was immersed in reading Psycho-Pass and Vocaloid fanfics lately instead of typing up some fics myself... So, forgive me. Haha._

_P.S. I just noticed that the previous chapter was back-painfully short. _:D _And I edited some small parts of the previous chapters, so maybe you'd like to re-read them...?_

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

_A tiny yellow canary bird landed on a small branch of a small tree, its small wings fluttering beside its body into a close. Two pairs of amazed eyes – one pair a glinting cerulean blue and the other pair an expressive aquamarine – stared at the adorable little creature._

_The owner of the glinting cerulean eyes let out a yell of amazement._

"_It's so cute!" he trilled. "I so want to snatch it!"_

"Len?!_" came his friend's hissed warning. _

"_No... I'm just kidding," the energetic boy named Len chuckled. "I just want to take it home and make it my pet!"_

_His friend chuckled. "But how are you going to –"_

"_- Wait here, Kuo!"_

_With that brief interruption, he sprinted off slightly uphill, towards his house, stepping on the short green grass and hopping over stones, pebbles and some boulders. The gentle breeze blew, making the leaves from the trees around tremble and flutter. The clouds were puffy and white. _

_The scene was serene in their eyes._

_The left-behind boy named Mikuo, but was called Kuo, smiled at his friend's antics and turned his head towards the canary whose beady brown eyes were focused upon his own curious aquamarine orbs. It didn't blink – and it was scary. It seemed like it was examining his soul... or something. He blinked when he realized he was staring for quite some time._

"_Hey, it's bad to stare, you know..." he muttered the irony._

_The canary didn't do anything but tilt its head, still looking at him. It was sort of peculiar, the boy thought. Little creatures like these usually escape at the mere sight of a human, flying away for their lives. But this canary wasn't bothered by the boy's body, which was close to it._

_Perhaps the bird knew that the boy in front of him wasn't one of the town children who kill their kind with their wooden slingshots. _

_Then suddenly, the tiny creature looked down. Mikuo looked down, too, noticing that the bird was looking at the food on his right hand – an unfinished lump of soft bread he was just eating baked by his mother._

_Perhaps the canary was hungry, and it was probably begging for a crumb from the boy. Mikuo chuckled._

"_You're –"_

" _- baaaaaack!"_

_Len came back, still sprinting, carrying a small wooden birdcage. It was swinging back and forth on its handle as he ran and ran until he returned to his spot beside his friend._

"_Good thing there was still a perfect cage for this bird!" he excitedly said, panting as he collapsed beside Mikuo into an Indian-sit. A few beads of sweat was on his forehead. _

"_I just said he was probably hungry. Maybe we could lure it into the cage using my food, no?"_

_Len glanced at the bread on his friend's hand. He then made a face of agreement. "Grand, perfect idea, Kuo!"_

"_It's not grand, Len..."_

_The two seven-year-old boys laughed at their dialogue, then proceeded to lure the canary. Mikuo tossed a crumb into the cage, making the canary go after it. Len then shut the cage's door and hissed a "yes!"._

"_Yay! I have a pet now!"_

"_What are you going to name him?"_

"_Hmm..." Len's face was contorted to that of a thinking man. He was scrutinizing the canary inside the cage. "Maybe... _Kiiro_?"_

"_Oh... Yellow?"_

"_'Course it is."_

"_Lame..."_

"_I dare you say it again," Len threatened._

"_Lame," Mikuo smirked. He sprinted away, making the other boy mockingly rage and run after him._

"_Come back here, you!"_

_Two happy, peaceful children ran across the grassy fields of their town._

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

"_Hey, Kuo. I'm going to tell you a great st –"_

"_What a great story!"_

"_Shut it, I haven't started yet!"_

"_Kidding, kidding..."_

_The two children were seated at the town's riverbank as usual. It was their everyday rendezvous point. Plus, it was made more fun, now that they had a new pet canary in a cage which was near the Mikuo's foot._

"_Once upon a ti-"_

"_-Change the beginning. 'Once upon a time' is too overused," Mikuo interrupted, preventing a laugh from escaping his mouth. Len made a strange face. _

"_You're mean. Here goes..." he paused. "Ahm, actually, 'Once upon a time' wasn't supposed to be its beginning. I just made that up," he explained, making an awkward smile. He laughed._

_He told his friend about a beautiful turquoise-haired, honey yellow-eyed priestess, clothed in pure white _kimono_, who captured demons and other evil supernatural beings. She carried around a pretty supernatural _katana_ with some sort of expensive gems embedded on it._

"_And people said that she was very pretty and awesome! And that she kicks butt!"_

"_Supernatural butt."_

"_Exactly! And I think she's from your family? Since she has turquoise hair like yours and your father..."_

_Mikuo furrowed his eyebrows, thinking hard. For a second he looked down, but he quickly looked up, back to Len._

"_No. I already saw my clan's family tree scroll. It was not messed up. The only ones who has turquoise hair in my family are me, my father, a distant cousin who is still a toddler and a great grandmother," Mikuo explained. "Plus, there are no priestesses in my family."_

_Len mouthed an "oh" in mild disappointment. _

"_And see here," the turquoise-haired boy went on. "There are also many blonde people from different towns."_

"_Yeah..."_

_They finished their story-telling and played around like they usually did, and they fished at the river, until a teenage, blonde girl ran up to them, panting softly as she reached the two._

"_You, Len. You ought to go home now. It's lunch time," she said, flapping her hand at Len, beckoning at him. Len, from far away, nodded in response._

"_We'll go back in a few minutes," he drawled, reeling up his wooden fishing pole as he felt that something was grabbing the bait._

_The girl turned to Mikuo, blinking her sapphire blue eyes. The ribbon at the top of her head bounced slightly. "Why don't you come over, Kuo? Mother prepared some delicious stew for lunch!"_

_Mikuo grinned. "I would love to. Thank you, Rin_-nee_."_

_The girl named Rin grinned, too. "Well then, I'll go back first, since I still have to finish hanging the newly-washed clothes before I eat."_

_She ran back, her creamy orange _yukata_ brushing against the long grass. Len's cheeks were puffed out, watching his older sister go uphill. _

_It was pure bad luck that the thing that grabbed his fishing bait was just an old slipper. He discarded it and went up to his friend._

"_So, you coming or what?"_

_Mikuo stood up and took the wooden cage – with their canary inside – in his hands. "Coming."_

_They both walked up, back to Len's home._

"_And, oh. You've got to practice sword-fighting over at my house, right? You became sick last week, and you missed a lot of lessons..." Mikuo said._

"_Yup."_

"_When?"_

"_Since we've got nothing to do later, why not later?"_

"_Great!"_

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

Why was he remembering all those things? It was just hurting him.

_Painful..._

There was a possibility that Len wouldn't remember anything from his past if he ever came back.

_So, why bother remembering them?_

But then...it was just a possibility... Len might come back with those memories still in him. And if he ever came back like that, they would talk about what silly things they did as children. And laugh at them.

_So, maybe remembering them would be sort of good..._

"Kuo-kun? Why do you look...worried?"

Mikuo looked up, slightly startled by the voice passing through his thoughts. The girl, his companion, was looking at him, concern present in her uninjured emerald eye.

"I-it's nothing, Mi-san..." he replied after a few seconds, after realizing that his eyebrows were furrowed in worry. He turned to her and grinned awkwardly, waving his hands in defense, hoping to ease Miku's worries about him.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

_A beautiful, pale, turquoise-haired priestess clad in a pure white silky _kimono_ leaped off a temple's clay roof before landing on the cemented earth effortlessly, putting her silver _katana_ back to its charcoal-black sheathe. She was from a tiring job of capturing wicked supernatural beings like demons, and she was now going to lock the latest batch up for good._

_She walked gracefully towards a small ancient building – part of the temple she was staying as a priestess at – stepping on the brown-and-gray stone steps._

_The building she was about to enter was a demon-prison – where she locked every single wicked supernatural beings she caught inside. Especially malicious demons._

_She lifted her right hand, gripping on the wooden door's heavy brass ring knob. She pushed the door open, making herself enter a dark room of wooden cabinets where the beings were locked. _

_Her honey yellow eyes scanned the room for anything suspicious. She made sure that nothing escaped from the curse-protected prison._

_A fair young girl about the age of fifteen emerged from behind one of the cabinets. She had hair just like the woman who just entered – silky long turquoise. She was wearing a black and red, intricately-designed kimono with some floral patterns. It was partly revealing because it exposed some parts of her legs and stomach. Loose strips of white cloth bandage was wrapped around her stomach. She wore fishnet stockings and black, flat shoes._

_She blinked her innocent-looking emerald eyes as she regarded the woman meters away from her._

"_Welcome back, mother."_

_The woman before her smiled gently. She retrieved a crystal-like, red-tinted bottle from inside her _kimono_ sleeve. She held it up for the young girl to see._

"_I'm back from capturing the worst of the worst, Miku," she said in a monotone voice, but she was satisfied and happy inside._

"_Red..." the girl muttered, scrutinizing the crystalline bottle. Her eyes partly widened in surprise._

"_It's the demon _Ayasaki_," the priestess said. "Just as you guessed. The worst of the wicked supernatural beings..."_

_The young girl smiled, looking up at her mother, motherly honey-yellow eyes meeting her emerald ones. "Congratulations, mother. I guess _Tagei-sei_ did an outstanding job..."_

_Her mother looked down at her sword's black sheath, gripping on the hilt. She unsheathed the sword, revealing a shiny, silver blade with five sapphires embedded on the edge near the hilt. _

_Four different supernatural beings – the strongest – could shape-shift into swords, and those four were legendary. Those swords could be identified by the four different gems embedded on them, five each._

_The _Tagei-sei_ was one of them, and it was in possession of the priestess before the young girl. The name meant "versatile" - it could shape-shift into different weapons, but being a sword was its main form. It had sapphires embedded on it, and it drew power from water._

_The _Ayasaki_, too, was one of them. It was a demon sword – the strongest of the four. It had rubies, and it drew power from sunlight or fire._

Gekkou _and _Hokaku_ were now entrusted to the young girl, who was the demon-prison's guard. The former had diamonds, and it drew power from moonlight, while the latter had aquamarine gems. It drew power from the wind._

"_It did. Now," the priestess handed the bottle to her daughter. "I will entrust you this. Make sure that it will not escape, for it kills humans and feeds on human souls. Of course, it would possess a human first before doing so. If you fail..." _

_Her voice drifted off._

"_Mother...?"_

"_If you fail, it would be chaotic around. Many people would die. And if it ever escaped, I will let you off to do the daunting and tiring search for the demon. I'll have you know that fighting it would lead to death, for it is immensely strong._

"_And I wouldn't help you, since you already have two of the swords, and because I left you __with the job of guarding the prison. Retrieving escaped beings is one of your jobs as a prison guard."_

_The young girl faintly frowned at the warning, but nodded obediently, like she was supposed to do. She knew that her mother was like that – strict about her business of chasing after and locking up wicked supernatural beings and purifying human souls. _

"_Good," came the satisfied reply._

_Miku took the crystal bottle, wickedly-warm against her hands, and went around a cursed, wooden, ancient-looking cabinet. She opened a free one and locked the bottle inside. _

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

_The young demon-prison guard carefully watched over her mother's supernatural prisoners, most especially the dangerous _Ayasaki_. She didn't let herself become too relaxed even though she knew that the curses that bound the cabinets were strong._

_However, one night, two years later, as she was taking a short nap, she felt a dark aura surround her. It wasn't unusual, provided that she was surrounded by evil beings, but the aura was darker than she usually felt._

_Seventeen year-old Miku squinted as she stirred, and opened her eye (her other eye was already injured, already covered by strips of white cotton bandage) as she woke up. _

_There, she suddenly stood up, only to see that the cabinet where the _Ayasaki_ demon was locked up was already opened. The crystal bottle was there, but it was now colorless, indicating that the demon wasn't inside the bottle._

How did it escape? How did it escape the strong curses...?

_Then it hit her – it was the _Ayasaki_, anyway. The strongest. It could probably break through any curses after recovering while locked up._

_She heard a _swoosh_ of the wind, and she felt the dark aura concentrate behind her. She turned around, only to see that the _Ayasaki_ was behind her – smoke-like, faint red in color, with faint glowing yellow dots for eyes. It looked like a mere red ghost, floating in the air, like a fog._

_It made the girl unsheathe her legendary sword at its sight. She tightly gripped on _Gekkou_, preparing to lash at the demon._

_The only way to defeat it while it was in its spirit form was to stab or lash at its eyes. But the problem was the speed of the opponent. And that the strongest of the demons was the one in front of her._

_It was pure bad luck that the demon already disappeared – dispersing in the air – just as she fiercely lifted her sword to slash it. Its dispersing alarmed Miku. It would now set off to search for a suitable human to possess, and wreak havoc in different towns._

_She shook her head in dismay, clicked her tongue, grabbed the crystal bottle, and ran out from the temple's demon-prison, sword still on her right hand. She pushed the wooden door open, and ran off in the gentle, drizzling shower._

_However, just a few steps away from the door, she skidded to a halt as she saw her mother waiting near the prison, close to the temple's garden. She wore a faintly disappointed expression – her honey-yellow, now blank eyes focused upon her daughter's emerald eye. Miku bit her lip._

"_You perfectly know what to do."_

_Even her mother's voice had a hint of disappointment, but firm. However, she knew that she mustn't put all the blame upon her daughter – it wasn't her fault that the demon escaped. She just emphasized that it was a job to do. Her daughter was old enough to do that kind of complicated work._

_Miku nodded and sprinted off, stepping on water puddles on the stone paths of the temple, determined to retrieve the demon._

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

Those memories, when she was let off to recapture the demon, invaded her thoughts. She wondered why – why it suddenly came across.

She squinted, trying to get rid of those memories. She had to concentrate on their search, and finally finish it off.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

_A night after the escape of the strongest of the wicked supernatural beings... Midnight, precisely..._

_Seventeen year-old Len Kagamine stirred on his _futon_, rubbing his eyes as he was partly woken up by a faint bang outside his house._

"_Darn it. Disturbing my manly sleep..." he seethed. He quickly stood up and walked out of his room, sliding the wooden door open and running out towards the source of the commotion. _

_As he reached the source – which is, the garden shed near the well, close to his room – he frowned in annoyance. There wasn't anything suspicious. But there was a reddish-orange cat, which looked kind of weak, on the ground. And it had a burn patch on its fur at the back. _

_Perhaps, due to its weakness, it didn't see where it was walking, and it bumped at the old, wooden shed. _

_Because of his soft spot for animals, Len picked up the yellow-eyed cat and returned to his room, planning to nurse it back to health._

_He slid the door shut, and sat down on the floor, laying the cat gently in front of him. It looked really weak and hungry, so he thought that it needed food first._

"_You have to eat."_

_Sighing, he stood up and walked out of his room._

_The tiny, yellow canary inside the cage in his room trilled. But its trill was...sort of...agitated. It even flew back and forth like it was worried._

_Len returned after about ten minutes, carrying a plate of left-over fish. However, as he returned, he didn't see the cat lying like it was supposed to be. The cat was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, even making clicking sounds to call it, but it wasn't there._

_It suddenly disappeared._

_He searched inside his closet, even though it was impossible for the cat to enter a closed one. _

_He sighed._

_He turned around, only to see a fume of light red smoke with two small yellow, glowing dots above. He gasped, but before he was able to do so, light-red smoke engulfed him, and he saw nothing but black as his eyes shut into a close._

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

"_Hey, Len! What are you doing?"_

_Sixteen-and-a-half year-old Mikuo Hatsune tilted his head as he observed his friend staring blankly at the river where they usually hung out. His pale, blank face was reflected on the clear water, as well as the warm rays of the sun._

"_H-hey... Are you all-"_

"_I'm fine," came the monotone reply._

_Mikuo furrowed his eyebrows. He felt that something was wrong with his friend. Even his aura seemed darker. But still, he didn't push it – it might only lead it to the worse case. He might make an outburst if he even tried._

"_I'll just... Go back home..."_

"_Be careful," came the thoughtless regard._

_Mikuo left, yet he was still concerned about his friend. He couldn't help wondering whether he was possessed by some kind of evil supernatural being, because of the slightly dark aura he sensed earlier. _

_It was his supernatural ability that no one else knew about, so he didn't even think of warning his and Len's family, or they would only think of him as a lunatic, even though they believed in the supernatural themselves._

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

"CRACK..."

_An old man groaned as he woke from his slumber. He sat up as he was woken up by a faint sound coming from the roof._

"_What was that noise..."_

_He hurried outside his room and went straight out, watching over the roof. There, he saw a faint figure of a boy leaping away on the roof, seemingly escaping from something. His long hair, tied up in a ponytail, fluttered in the night wind. A sword scabbard hung at his side._

"_Oh, my..."_

_As he muttered those words, more people went out. They were woken up by the sound of someone stepping on the roofs. Or leaping._

_They all saw the boy._

"_Oh no!"_

_The moon was full, and it somewhat illuminated his figure, especially the scabbard._

_Mikuo, who was among the crowd who were woken up by the commotion, blinked in shock. _

"_L...Len..."_

_There was no mistake. It was his friend. He had the same facial features, but his hair was different. It was too long for a boy. And his eyes were glowing faintly, colored yellow._

"_A demon-possessed boy!" one of the townsfolk exclaimed._

_Buzzes of mutters resounded in the air._

_Just before the figure shrunk as it leaped farther, Mikuo caught a clear glimpse of the sword scabbard – glinting silver with crimson cloud patterns. Its hilt was emerald green._

_The light of the moon helped, for it gave Mikuo some hints to help him identify his friend. _

"_Did you see the sword?"_

"_Oh, yes..."_

"_It already reached the worst point, where the evil spirit possessed the boy, and some of its part shape-shifted into a weapon!"_

"_Do you think it is one of the legendary four spirits?"_

_The mutters and mumbles from the abashed crowd continued._

_Mikuo was already generating an idea – and his plan was to search for his friend. To stop him from doing more harm. However, he needed to train his body more, to endure a long journey._

_That night, the canary inside the cage in his friend's room broke free after fluttering in an agitated way, back and forth.._

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

_Days later, rumors of a demon-possessed boy circulated among the different towns. Rumor had it that the boy killed humans and consumed their souls – a scary story, indeed._

_The rumor further drove Mikuo to finally begin his search. He didn't want his best friend to kill more people._

_He prepared his small cloth bag – its contents were a few daggers and a flask of water. He knew that the mountains, where he lived and where he was going to search, had bountiful of food and water, so he knew that he could survive._

_He was now prepared. He could fight. He could do it._

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

Night arrived, and they still failed to find the boy they were searching for.

~~~::::::::::::::::::::~~~

_AruuYuda-ShoriKyuyu: Yaaay, weird ending. *shot* I went overboaaard- *shot* It's too long! _:D

_Kinda chaotic writing, I think. Reviews please!_


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